We bring expert tools at your bench

Genome customization is our promise to bring to your bench easy and ready-to-use research tools to generate the cells and organisms with your desired characteristics.

The genome customization toolkit includes reagents and protocols enabling precise modifications of DNA sequences in a targeted genome, whether it is a cell line, a primary or stem cell, or even a whole organism.

Our Genome customization techniques involves naturally occurring enzymes called Meganucleases, and the use of natural repair mechanisms. Meganucleases are DNA endonucleases with long recognition sites (12 to 30bp) which make DNA double-strand breaks at a unique place in a genome. We use them as highly specific “DNA scissors”.

This DNA double-strand can be repaired by Homologous Recombination, making use of a template DNA that contains DNA sequences homologous to the cleaved DNA flanking regions. Should the template DNA also carry an additional transgene (Integration Matrix) it will also be transferred, providing transgene Targeted Integration at the meganuclease recognition site. Should the template DNA carry a DNA sequence slightly different from the cleaved genomic DNA (a Modification Matrix) Targeted Gene Modification (gene repair, gene mutation, promoter swap) will occur.

The DNA double-strand break can also be repaired by Non-Homologous End-Joining (NHEJ). Non-Homologous End Joining is a natural repair mechanism which consists in the direct re-ligation of the two cleaved DNA double-strand strands. This re-ligation process can be perfect when it simply restores the original sequence or error-prone when it adds or deletes nucleotide stretches ranging from one nucleotide to several kb. Meganucleases and NHEJ can be used for Targeted Disruption to cease a gene's function.

The genome customization toolkit: Targeted Integration, Targeted Modification, Targeted Disruption

Targeted Modification and Targeted Disruption necessitate the use of meganucleases targeting specific genes. This can be achieved through Meganuclease engineering by Cellectis.

Targeted Integration enables the over expression of any and all transgenes or shRNAs from one genomic position provided this site is transcriptionally active. The presence of a single meganuclease recognition site in the host cell is therefore sufficient for any over expression or silencing studies. Cellectis bioresearch focuses on providing researchers with easy and ready-to-use Targeted Integration kits for generating stable and isogenic cell lines.

> Read more about genome customization on nature: inside vew